Tintin today

Since it's been a very rainy day and for the sake of readers who aren't quite as excited about the rugby results as we are, I decided to post a picture of this little guy - many kids' (and adults') comic book hero. I was surprised to find out that Tintin is actually quite the cult figure - just Google it. Perhaps I should have bought this wooden Tintin and sold it on eBay...

Traffic light art

It's difficult to see from the cropped photograph that the tin-shack houses depicted in the foreground of this 430x140x16mm chipboard painting have a 3D appearance. They're actually made from discarded aluminium soda cans!

We bought this piece of art today for R100 (approximately 10 Euros); the artist was selling his work at traffic lights on the Newlands part of the M3, at the foot of Table Mountain. Framed it'll look absolutely stunning.

Nobel Square #4

Today, the last of the four bronze sculptures at Nobel Square - and I'm sure you'll recognise this man straight away.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 (together with FW de Klerk) in recognition of his relentless attitude of forgiveness and reconciliation despite all that had been done to him and his people.

A new 9-foot bronze sculpture of Nelson Mandela has just been unveiled at Parliament Square in London. Interestingly, both the sculpture in our picture and the new one in London depict Mandela in his famous "Madiba shirt", which has become firmly entrenched as a South African icon.

You can see our post about Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island here.

Nobel Square #3

Back to Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront for the third of the four bronze sculptures (see the first and second). This is Frederik Willem de Klerk, better known to South Africans as FW de Klerk... or even just "FW".

FW de Klerk was the President of South Africa from 1989 to 1994, during the final years of apartheid. I remember the 1989 elections well, though I was just 13 at the time; one of the opposition parties put up posters saying something along the lines of "He's just a new rider on a dead horse", implying that FW de Klerk taking over the reins of the National Party would not make a difference, since the National Party was still doing and saying the same old things.

Well, it seems that FW did in fact make a difference, unbanning the ANC, entering into negotiations with black leaders, releasing Nelson Mandela from prison and helping to end apartheid. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and was made deputy-president under Nelson Mandela in 1994, a position he held until 1996.

I often wonder whether things would have been different if another leader had emerged in the National Party, or on the other hand, if the more liberal Democratic Party had been voted into power in the 1989 elections.

Nobel Square #2

The second of four bronze sculptures at Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront, this is Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church in Cape Town.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, and was chosen to head up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the dismantling of apartheid in the 1990s. He has always remained outspoken against injustice, criticising the shortcomings of the old and new governments even-handedly.

It was Desmond Tutu who coined the now-popular term "Rainbow Nation", which I think aptly describes our diverse and oh-so-colourful country.

Nobel Square

Unlike yesterday's "statue", today's really is made of bronze. This sculpture forms part of Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront, a tribute to South Africa's four recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This is the late Albert Luthuli, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960. He was the president of the ANC in the 1950s, and was banned at various times during those years. Banning was similar to house arrest - banned individuals were restricted to a certain geographical area (not always their home town), and were usually not allowed to be in a room with more than one person at a time (other than family members).

The irony here is that Albert Luthuli's banning order was temporarily lifted in December 1961 so that he and his wife could attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. How could the government of the day have failed to recognise what the rest of the world saw so clearly? It's beyond me.